Background. Chest pain is a common problem in obese patients. Because of the body habitus, the results of noninvasive evaluation for CAD may be limited in this group. Methods. We reviewed the records of 1446 consecutive patients who had undergone clinically indicated stress echocardiography (SE). We compared major adverse cardiac events (MACE; myocardial infarction, cardiac intervention, cardiac death, subsequent hospitalization for cardiac events, and emergency department visits) at 1 year in normal weight, overweight, and obese subjects with normal SE. Results. Excluding patients with an abnormal and indeterminate SE and those who were lost to follow-up, a retrospective analysis of 704 patients was performed. There were 366 obese patients (BMI ≥ 30), 196 overweight patients (BMI 25–29.9), and 142 patients with normal BMI (18.5–24.9). There was no MACE in the groups at 1-year follow-up after a normal SE. Conclusions. In obese patients including those with multiple risk factors and symptoms concerning for cardiac ischemia, stress echocardiography is an effective and reliable noninvasive tool for identifying those with a low 1-year risk of cardiac events.

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<b><i>Background:</i></b> Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress response is a conservative mechanism involving a complex network of different molecular branches to determine cell fate through specific transcription factors and downstream executors. Emerging evidence shows that ER stress is implicated in the occurrence and progression of acute kidney injury (AKI) in different animal models and human patients. However, there is still a lack of therapeutics targeting the ER in AKI. <b><i>Summary:</i></b> Several therapeutic chemicals, including a compound that induces activating transcription factor 6 (ATF6) and chemical chaperones, have been developed to target the ER in the treatment of AKI. Meanwhile, ER stress-inducible secreted proteins, mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (MANF), and cysteine-rich with EGF-like domains 2 (CRELD2) could serve as potential ER stress biomarkers in the early diagnosis and treatment response monitoring of human patients with AKI. <b><i>Key Messages:</i></b> Experimental and clinical evidence suggests the critical role of ER in the pathogenesis and progression of AKI, and ER is a novel target in AKI therapy.